What is Pinoy pop? Is it simply a Filipino version of the turbocharged electro sounds of Korean-pop dominating arenas from Abu Dhabi and Riyadh to Australia? Or is there something deeper to the burgeoning genre, staking its claim as the next big sound coming from Asia?
Ask scene leaders SB19, and the reply is that the boy band define their craft by the emotional response to the songs rather than the way it sounds.
“I don't think there is any real difference between Pinoy Pop, K-pop and pop music in general,” Pablo (full name Pablo Nase) tells The National, ahead of the group's show at The Agenda on Wednesday. “But I think that it has a personal and emotional quality to it because we travel the world and play to many Filipinos.
“They know, even more than us, what it means to be away from home and missing your family. So when we perform these universal songs, some of them happy and others sad, they connect because they relate to us.”
Josh, full name Josh Cullen, remembers a particular exchange with a fan during the band's last visit to Dubai in 2022.
“Her name was Chantel and she told us why, at that time, she was in Dubai for seven months and hearing our music made her feel less lonely and more safe,” he says. “This kind of conversation leaves a big mark in my heart because you are inspiring fans and they inspire us with their words as well. So it is a win-win situation.”
It also means that every SB19 show has the cathartic quality of a family reunion. The Dubai concert is the beginning of the final leg of their Pagtatag! World Tour, which has visited the North America and Canada and is scheduled to conclude in the Philippines in May.
During that time some members worked on solo projects, with Justin (Justin De Dios) releasing debut solo single Surreal in February. Stell, real name Stellvester Ajero, was the winning coach on last year’s season of the Filipino version of television talent quest The Voice Generation.
He confirms he will be back to defend his title on the programme later this year. “The most important advice I gave my team on the show is to not be afraid of expressing yourself,” he says. “You need to know who you are and be confident in showing your true colours.”
It's a lesson the band has learnt after six years in the spotlight. Formed in 2018 after the members individually participated in a talent contest held by ShowBT Philippines, a subsidiary of the South Korean K-pop company ShowBT, the group grew from performing corporate gigs to become the first Filipino act nominated in the Billboard Music Awards for Top Social Artist. They were also the first South-East Asian act to enter the top 10 of Billboard’s Social 50 charts.
SB19 also halted BTS’s record-breaking number one reign on Billboard's Trending Songs chart after their 2022 single Bazinga replaced Butter in the top slot. The group capitalised on the global spotlight afforded to Asian pop artists on the back of K-pop’s success, but Stell recalls having to adapt quickly to the rigours of touring.
Where before Pinoy pop artists would organically build their fan base at home before performing abroad, he says SB19 had a global fan base almost from the beginning. “I am very grateful and love visiting new countries, but touring is also very tiring for me and it can be really suffocating,” Stell says.
It is during these challenging times that the group rely on each other, Pablo notes. “It helps that we confide in each other. We have had some times where we have had to control our emotions and learn how to react to certain situations,” he says. “We try not to waste our energy on things that ultimately don’t matter.”
Sometimes, a little bit of healthy distance from each other also helps keep the SB19 ship afloat. “Taking time out helps when you have arguments,” Justin says. “While we always talk to each other, I believe time also heals.
“Whatever emotions we feel is really because we love what we do and we basically grew up together. And sometimes what works for a specific member in the group doesn't work for another, so you just have to be the bigger person and let it go.”
With the group set to release new single Moonlight in May, their first song since 2023 hit Gento, there is much more to come from SB19.
“It is a really exciting time and this new song will be this summer's jam,” Pablo says. “After the tour we will rest and then plan for the next stage. We have our whole year planned already and we will be preparing for something big for our fans.”
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
More on Quran memorisation:
Du Plessis plans his retirement
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in two years' time will be his last.
Du Plessis, 34, who has led his country in two World T20 campaigns, in 2014 and 2016, is keen to play a third but will then step aside.
"The T20 World Cup in 2020 is something I'm really looking forward to. I think right now that will probably be the last tournament for me," he said in Brisbane ahead of a one-off T20 against Australia on Saturday.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Klopp at the Kop
Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82
- Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
- Runners-up in Europa League in 2016
- Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
- Fourth place in Premier League in 2016/17
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
